The Lausitz Eurospeedway track, near Klettwitz, is an IndyCar-style banked tri-oval, but with an infield course linking two of the outer straights. Several of the current riders had raced at the venue in the 2001-02 seasons, almost all with different makes of bike, but none of them had been podium finishers. Frankie Chili, Noriyuki Haga and Ben Bostrom each had a fourth and a fifth to their name, with Troy Corser on a best of fifth, and James Toseland one of a few not to get into the top six.

This year’s entry had a different look to it, with both Régis Laconi and Chris Walker absent due to their Assen injuries. In the Frenchman’s case, his mount had been handed to 23-year-old Caracchi Ducati rider Lanzi. The new Ducati Xerox man, already seen as a man for the future, had previously recorded a best result of fifth on his 999 RS, and had ridden a 749 to four fourths and fifth overall in Supersport during 2004. As a native of Bologna, he was always going to be a good choice for Ducati.

And so it proved with the F05 model, as Lanzi emerged with pole position, two full rows ahead of his previous best. Team-mate Toseland kept up recent form on the opposite end of the front rank, with Corser’s Suzuki second and Chris Vermeulen (pictured) third for Ten Kate Honda. Andrew Pitt led the second row with his Yamaha, the Australian having been twice on the podium at the track in Supersport. Then came Karl Muggeridge, Haga, local man Max Neukirchner, and Yukio Kagayama.

Race day dawned wet, after overnight rain, but the track was drying by the time the action got underway. Race one saw Corser lead away, from Vermeulen, Haga and Pitt. Lanzi managed to get his braking wrong coming down the banking into the left of turn one, and had to go straight onto the oval pit exit road. He followed the outer course round the first turn, rejoining the other runners as they emerged from the fifth infield turn onto the back straight. Corser now led Vermeulen, Lanzi, Haga, Pitt, Toseland, Kagayama, Chili, Norick Abe, Muggeridge and Neukirchner.

Vermeulen took over in the lead at turn one. At this stage it wasn’t clear whether Lanzi would be penalised, but his short cut had missed out some twists and turns, gaining back the advantage his mistake had cost him. It wasn’t long before he was relegated a place by Haga, and a wide moment for Corser let the Japanese rider into second. Lanzi was soon to follow him through.

The leading group evolved into a six man battle, with Vermeulen a touch ahead of Haga, Lanzi, Corser, Pitt and Toseland. Chili moved through from ninth to seventh, setting the fastest lap as he caught up to the leaders. Meanwhile, Muggeridge stopped in the pits after an incident, leaving Neukirchner leading the second group, from Kagayama, Abe, Ivan Clementi, Michael Schulten, Steve Martin, Bostrom, Marco Borciani, Sébastien Gimbert and Norino Brignola.

Lanzi now went fastest, overtaking Haga at the looping right-hand turn connecting the two main infield straights. But at about this time it was announced that he would have to serve a ride-through pitlane penalty. By now, the leading trio of Vermeulen, Lanzi and Haga had got away from Corser and the rest. And the order changed when a wide moment for Chris let Lorenzo through, but only in time to lead then dive for the pits. After the penalty he found himself 18th.

Vermeulen now held the lead over Haga, with Corser alone in third. Pitt and Toseland were next, with a Klaffi Honda the nearest pursuer. Firstly this was Chili, but the 41-year-old went out with mechanical trouble, letting team-mate Neukirchner up to sixth. Kagayama was next, from Schulten, Abe, Bostrom, Garry McCoy, Gianluca Vizziello, Gimbert, Giovanni Bussei and Brignola.

Lanzi didn’t hang about outside the points positions, using the speed of the Ducati to carve through the field. Before long this took him up behind Abe, who he quickly dealt with on the inside going into the ‘loop’ turn. This put him eighth, where he set about catching Neukirchner, now that Kagayama had moved through into P5.

Lanzi caught the German, but at this late stage a touch of rain had started to fall. Vermeulen signalled this twice going past the pits, and sure enough the race was red flagged and the results declared. The Australian took a third straight win by a slim margin over Haga. The next runners had shuffled and spread out, with Corser maintaining third, and then Toseland, Kagayama, Pitt, Neukirchner, Lanzi, Abe, Bostrom, McCoy, Bussei and José Luís Cardoso.

Lanzi did much better at the start of race two, slotting in behind Corser and Haga. Pitt was next, from Muggeridge, Kagayama and Toseland, with Vermeulen down to eighth and followed by Abe, Neukirchner, Chili, Martin, McCoy, Clementi, Cardoso, Bostrom, Gimbert and the rest. Muggeridge was quickly by compatriot Pitt, and a wide moment let the Honda man past Lanzi into third. But this changed to second with a dramatic moment for the championship leader.

For the first time in twenty races, Corser crashed the Alstare Suzuki. In the downhill right at turn two, at the transition from the oval to the road section, the Australian lost the rear end, which slid away from him. With Vermeulen on form, this would surely mean that his points lead would come down. Troy got going again, but not before losing over twenty positions.

Lanzi recovered a lost place in forcing by Muggeridge, and these two followed Haga, with a slight gap to Pitt, and then Toseland and Vermeulen. Lanzi’s journey to the front was complete when he slid the Ducati getting on the inside of Haga at the left-hander after the ‘loop’ turn, also taking the fastest lap. Noriyuki responded and they broke clear of Muggeridge in a private battle for the win.

Toseland overtook Pitt in the same left-hander, with Vermeulen getting the Yamaha rider at turn one. Chris was on the move again and, after getting by Toseland, used turn one again to get ahead of his team-mate. James also went past Karl, forcing his way through at the left-hand turn five hairpin, going onto the back straight.

Lanzi and Haga had been going hard at it, with Noriyuki through but wide at turn one, then getting it right at the end of the back straight, for the left-hander back onto the infield. Lorenzo returned the favour with a move at turn four, a right-hander. But by the time the Italian nearly lost control, apparently hitting something in the vicinity of Clementi’s crash, Vermeulen had joined the leading party.

Haga tried again at turn one, but once more ran wide on the brakes for Lanzi to cut back inside. With Noriyuki apparently unable to get by, now the gap between them started to grow. Haga’s tyres were struggling to cope at this stage, and Vermeulen made it past at turn one, to chase after Lanzi. There was half a second in it going onto the final lap, and Chris couldn’t do enough. Lanzi took his first win in only his second works ride.

Haga took third, but fourth man Toseland had recently taken a grassy excursion to drop back to P12, so that Kagayama was next finisher. Muggeridge held on ahead of Pitt for fifth, with Neukirchner, Abe, Martin and Chili next. Toseland recovered to eleventh, and Corser likewise to thirteenth, the pair split by Bussei. Gimbert and Bostrom were the other points men.

Régis Laconi was on hand to see substitute Lorenzo Lanzi out-perform regular team-mate James Toseland, and virtually the whole field. If not for the one obvious mistake, the youngster might even have done the double. Meanwhile, Chris Vermeulen and Noriyuki Haga both kept up their recent strong form and, with Troy Corser’s error, moved closer to the points lead - even if Haga cannot win. Corser now has a sixty-point margin, and can therefore stay ahead with only sixth places. A better weekend for Yukio Kagayama also closed up the race for fourth.

Standings after twenty races: Corser 389; Vermeulen 329; Haga 239; Toseland 215; Laconi 214; Kagayama 211; Pitt 137; Walker 130; Chili 125; Lanzi 118; Muggeridge 111; Abe 110; Neukirchner 98; Bussei 56.

To buy the photograph shown above, visit Raceline Photography

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